Thank you, my reviewers!
Chewie Cookies: Thank you! I will do my best! :D
StormSurfer: Wow. Your review made me really happy. ^_^ I love knowing that I've managed to write an entertaining story, but to hear that this is probably the most fun you've had reading a fanfiction is a bit humbling, especially when I've only written 2 chapters so far. Also makes me a bit nervous. But I will continue to do my best to make this a good story! And I'm glad I shattered the thought that this was going to just be a Spiderman clone. Seriously, it was just the inspiration—I am definitely not familiar enough with the whole story of Spiderman to make this story a clone of that even if I wanted to. And I never wanted to and still don't.
Still like it (Guest): Ah, I can see why that'd cause you some concern. Honestly, I don't know that I could do that with any story, no matter how much I like it. Just rewriting a story but with different characters seems boring to me. That's kind of why my Naruto/Mass Effect crossover ended up with the changes it has. It may piss some people off, but if they just want a rewrite of something but with Naruto characters, then they can go write it themselves. That's just too boring for me. Glad you like what I'm doing here, and hope you enjoy this chapter just as much if not more! ^^
thor94: Thanks! Yeah, I had a bit of an internal battle with whether or not I should make Hiashi the Worst Father Ever like he tends to end up in fanfics or if I should make him nicer. In the end, I decided that I wanted him to be the kind of father who thinks his daughter's a failure and needs to be protected all the time, but it's because he loves her that he wants to keep her safe. So he'll be a jerk at times and have no faith in Hinata's abilities, but won't be a supreme jerk that doesn't let her have any friends. I like him better that way than how he usually is in fanfics. :) And no, Naruto doesn't know about his family's hidden lives. You'll have to keep reading to see if he ever finds out. ;)
Guest: Thank you! I will always try to update ASAP!
Shinobi of life: Glad to hear it. ^^ Hope that love continues!
Fadelucky: Um, well thanks for liking the story, but as for the name Kitsune Ninja seeming kind of lame to you...what can I say, really? I like the name; if I didn't, then I wouldn't have chosen it. However, I realize that not everyone's going to like it. There isn't a name out there that everyone likes, and if you think about it, most superheroes' names are a bit lame. From Spiderman to Superman, Batman to Aquaman, or even the Flash to the Green Lantern, the list is filled with a bit of the lame (and I apologize to anyone who likes these characters—I'm not saying they're lame, just their names are a bit). And even Naruto's name is a bit lame in some regard. A naruto is a fishcake—a topping for ramen. In the end, it is not the name that matters, but the character behind it and what he/she does, ya know? I am glad, though, that you like the story and that the name didn't drive you away. And I always try to update as soon as I can; I even start writing the next chapter almost immediately after posting one. So hopefully, I haven't kept you waiting too long. ^_^
Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and faves! Hope you all like this chapter as well!
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto—all that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, who has my vote for the title of Biggest Troll Ever. Because anyone who would let Hinata's confession go as long as it has without Naruto answering her one way or another deserves such a title.
Now, for Chapter 3.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
Naruto awakened late the next morning to his phone buzzing. He'd spent some time texting Hinata the previous night before he left to go crime-fighting, so he'd turned the ringer off to avoid waking up his grandfather. However, due to his enhanced auditory ability, he heard it anyway. Opening his eyes, he reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the phone. He sat up, looked at the screen, and smiled when he saw it was another text from Hinata.
Hey, Naruto. :) I was wondering if you still wanted to hang out today.
He texted her back immediately. Of course I do! :D But how is your ankle?
Hinata: It still hurts even though I took some of the pain meds Tsunade prescribed, and it's probably best if I don't go anywhere today. But you can still come over and hang out.
Naruto: Sounds good to me! Well, other than your ankle still hurting, I mean. ^_^' When should I be there?
Hinata: Any time is fine. I'll let George know you're coming. See you then! ^^
Smiling happily, Naruto got out of bed and put on a clean white shirt, black pants, and black coat—in other words, his typical outfit—and ran a comb through his hair, even though he wasn't sure why he bothered with his hair being as wild as it was, before tying on his headband. Then he brushed his teeth. Done with his morning routine, he went downstairs to grab a quick breakfast, which was to be a bowl of ramen of course, but on the way to the kitchen, something he heard on the TV in the living room caught his attention.
"Mr. Shiroi, can you describe for us the details of last night's robbery?"
Peeking around the doorway to the living room, Naruto saw his grandparents sitting on the couch watching the news. On the TV was a female reporter speaking to the jewelry store owner whom Kitsune Ninja had saved last night.
The man, Mr. Shiroi, said to the reporter, "I was working late in my office at the back of the store when I heard the front window shatter. I managed to trip the silent alarm, but the robbers found me right away after that. They started shouting at me to unlock all the jewelry cases and the safe in the back or they would kill me, and that's when he showed up."
"Who?" the reporter asked.
"The man who saved my life," Mr. Shiroi answered. "He was dressed like a ninja, and when he first came in, I thought he was a nut—as did the robbers, who laughed in his face. But despite that and the fact that one of them had a gun to his face, the strange guy disarmed both robbers and took them down, saving me in the process. I couldn't even follow him, the guy moved so fast."
"Did this man say who he was?"
"Yeah, yeah, he did. One of the robbers asked him, and the guy said his name was Kitsune Ninja, I think."
"Kitsune Ninja?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what he said. He was dressed like a ninja, like I already told you, and on his back was the kanji for 'fox'."
"In other words, 'kitsune'. Interesting. Did you manage to see what this Kitsune Ninja looked like?"
"Not really," Shiroi shook his head. "He was wearing a hooded mask, but I did see his eyes. They were probably the weirdest thing about him."
"How so?"
"They were blood-red, and the pupils were slitted like a cat or snake's. ...Or a fox's."
The reporter blinked in surprise, but said, "Hmm. They were most likely just strange contacts he was wearing."
"Could be," the store owner shrugged. "Either way, the guy is strange. Crazy even. But he saved my life, so his kind of crazy is alright in my opinion."
"Thank you, Mr. Shiroi," the reporter said with a nod before moving away from the man. "And there you have it. A robbery stopped and a store owner saved by one vigilante calling himself Kitsune Ninja. One can only wonder if Konoha will see him again."
"Oh, you can count on it," Naruto thought with a smirk as he turned away and continued on to the kitchen to prepare his ramen. As much as he knew he was just trying to help people, he couldn't help but enjoy the bit of fame his alter ego was already getting.
Tsunade came in the kitchen as her grandson was eating and rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you should really eat something healthier than ramen for breakfast."
Naruto just grinned cheekily at her. "Yeah but, it's more like my lunch considering what time it is, Granny." He chuckled.
She sighed in mild annoyance, but just ruffled his hair. "You're going to need to change your sleeping habits before school starts next week, gaki."
"Yeah, I know. I know," he muttered before slurping up more noodles.
Tsunade smiled as a thought occurred to her. "Just think of it this way, Naruto: The earlier you get up, the more time you have in the day to spend with your new little girlfriend."
The blonde teen nearly choked on the noodles, and Tsunade patted his back while trying not to laugh at his red face. "G-Granny!" he shouted as soon as he managed to swallow. "I told you we're just friends!"
"Hahahaha! I know you are, gaki," she laughed at him. "But teasing you about it is just too much fun."
Naruto pouted, but that quickly changed to a mischievious smirk. "Just remember, Granny. What goes around comes around. Hehehehe..."
Tsunade cocked an eyebrow as she folded her arms. "And you just remember who can stop you from seeing your little friend for awhile if you go too far." Naruto looked momentarily worried and nodded. "Good. Now, speaking of Hinata, what are your plans today, gaki?"
"Well, Hinata said her ankle still hurts a bit despite the pain pills you gave her and thinks she shouldn't go anywhere today, so I'm heading over there as soon as I'm done eating to hang out with her at her house," he explained, and Tsunade just nodded in acknowledgement. Then he picked up the bowl and drank the remainder of the broth. Setting the bowl back down, he stood up and announced, "Well, I'm off!"
"Okay, Naruto. Just be home in time for supper or let us know if you're eating over there," Tsunade requested.
"Will do, Granny!" he called from the doorway where he was putting on his shoes. Opening the door, he yelled, "See ya!" and was off.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
Naruto rang the doorbell of the Hyuuga mansion and in less than a second was let in by the butler George. The man bowed and said, "Ah, Master Naruto. Lady Hinata said you would be coming over today. She awaits you in her room. Allow me to show you the way. Follow me."
"Okay, thanks," Naruto replied as he followed the man up the large staircase in the foyer, turning left, then right, and walking down a long hallway until they reached Hinata's door on the left side of the hall.
George knocked and spoke through the door, "Lady Hinata, Master Naruto is here to see you."
"So weird being called 'Master Naruto'," the boy mentally remarked.
"You may let him in, George. Thank you!" Hinata called back, and Naruto noted with surprise that she didn't stutter.
George opened the door and motioned for Naruto to go through. When the boy did, George stood in the doorway and said to the bluenette, "Lord Hiashi requests that your door remain open while Master Naruto is here, Lady Hinata, as is custom with any of your male guests. And your cousin Master Neji is just down the hall."
Hinata sweat-dropped and blushed slightly. "Yes, George, I know. The door will stay open, thank you."
The butler then bowed and left, going back down the hall.
Once they were alone, Naruto took a second to look around Hinata's room. It was painted lavender, and had wall-to-wall carpet of a darker shade of purple. Hinata's queen-sized bed with its lavender comforter and white sheets was in the far corner to the right of the large window, which had a window seat, and a cream-colored couch was parallel to the bed, facing the wall next to the bedroom door with an ottoman of the same color in front of it. On that same wall next to the door was a large TV and all of Hinata's game consoles were on a small entertainment center beneath the TV with a shelf next to them containing all her games, and the room was wired for surround sound. There was a door to Hinata's own bathroom on the right wall of the room between the couch and bed, and on the opposite wall was a door to a large walk-in closet. Naruto knew where each door led because the doors were left open slightly. There was also a dresser with a large mirror next to the closet door, and on top of the dresser were bits and pieces of electronics as well as a few tools.
Naruto's eyes then fell on the owner of the room, who was watching him from where she sat in the middle of the couch with her injured foot propped up on the ottoman wearing a purple shirt that was more form-fitting than the one she had worn yesterday and loose black shorts. He smiled at her. "I really like your room, Hinata."
"Thank you, Naruto," she returned his smile with a slight blush. "Would you like to sit down?"
"Sure! Thanks!" He sat next to her on the couch and asked, "So what do you wanna do?"
"Now there's a loaded question..." she thought as she looked at his gorgeous eyes and noticed his strong muscles again, and her face briefly took on a more crimson shade. "No! Bad Hinata! No bad thoughts! Geez, what is wrong with you?" Shaking her head slightly, Hinata looked at Naruto again and replied, "We can play a game if you want. I don't have many multiplayer games, though, but if you want to play alone, I really don't mind watching. Those pain pills have made me a little tired."
Naruto frowned. "Hinata, if you want to sleep, we don't have to hang out. It won't hurt my feelings if you need time to feel better."
"No, no!" she said quickly. "I want you to stay, please. I just hope you don't mind if I happen to doze off." She smiled sheepishly.
He smiled gently at her. "As long as you're sure." She nodded. "Alright then! And I'm fine with it if you fall asleep. I'll just wait for you to wake up." And he couldn't help but think, "I bet she looks really cute when she's asleep too." Ignoring his thoughts, he stood up to choose a game. "Ooo! I've wanted to try this one out to see if it's good!" he exclaimed as he selected one.
Seeing what he picked, Hinata told him, "It's a very good game. Feel free to try it."
"Thanks, Hinata," he gave her a foxy grin. As he put the game into the appropriate console and turned on the TV after he sat back down, he said, "Hey, Hinata. Hope this doesn't offend you, but I'm curious. What happened to your stutter?" Hinata blushed and fidgeted with her hands a little, though not as much as she usually did. When she didn't say anything for a bit, he assumed he hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry, Hinata! I didn't mean—"
"No, it's okay, Naruto," she told him with a small smile. "I just stutter when I'm really nervous. It's a habit I've had all my life that I've more or less gotten rid of except when I'm feeling really nervous. And yesterday was rather nerve-wracking for obvious reasons, and I think my pain pills are helping today too." She let out a small laugh, and Naruto loved the sound of it. "It'll be kind of sad once I don't need them anymore."
"Well, as long as you don't start abusing them," Naruto half-joked with a smile, and Hinata shook her head, meaning she wouldn't. "Your stutter's kinda cute anyway," the blonde muttered quietly as he turned his attention back to the game and tried to hide his own reddening face.
But Hinata heard him and blushed darker. "Really? No one's ever said that to me before. In fact, every guy I've ever dated eventually told me it was annoying."
Naruto let out a dry laugh and said, "Well, considering my tendency to use the phrase 'ya know' quite a bit, I don't really have the right to tell someone else the way they talk is annoying. Ya know?" He gave her a smirking grin and she giggled. Then his grin turned to a gentle smile as he added, "But I like the way you talk, stutter or no stutter."
"Th-Thank you," Hinata whispered as she looked down at her lap, her face bright crimson now and her stutter mildly returning.
Naruto just chuckled slightly and turned back to the game.
A few moments of silence passed as Naruto played and Hinata watched, and eventually the two started talking again as Naruto went through the beginning humdrum stuff of the game. They started out discussing the game itself, then games in general and found out that the two of them shared the same taste in games, preferring adventure RPG games, but occasionally playing fighting and racing games as well.
After awhile, their conversation became about many different things, each one leading them to learning something new about the other. Eventually, Naruto somehow ended up telling Hinata that the reason his grandmother looked so young was because of her knowledge of herbal remedies for maintaining one's youth as well as her colleague Shizune—who was also a former student of Tsunade's—being so skilled at plastic surgery. The blonde also joked that the only reason Tsunade let him call her "Granny" was because she was his father's mother—he told Hinata that he had the suspicion his grandma might try to hit him for calling her that otherwise.
Then Naruto asked Hinata what her father did for a living, and she told him he owned Hyuuga Technologies. The company made anything from computers to cell phones, hospital and laboratory equipment to gadgets and gizmos for military use, and so on. If it was an electronic device or computer software, Hyuuga Technologies made it.
"Guess that explains the stuff on your dresser then," Naruto commented.
Hinata nodded. "Yes, I've actually been fiddling with computers and gadgets and such since I was little. I like knowing how things work, finding ways to make them work better, and even making a few devices—either with schematics from the internet or with my own design. I actually took the console you're playing on apart as soon as I got it and found a way to make it load information faster and improved its ventilation, nearly eliminating the chance of it overheating."
Naruto stopped playing for a minute and blinked at her in surprise. "Wow...really? That's awesome, Hinata! Maybe I should let you work on mine sometime too." He grinned at her.
"I'd be glad to, Naruto," she said, returning the smile. She appreciated the fact that he not only believed her about her skill—most people didn't until she proved it to them—but that he also trusted her to work on his own console, seeming unconcerned of the possibility that she could break it permanently even after she informed him of said possibility. It felt good to have someone's confidence in her ability.
Their conversation moved on, and at some point, Hinata asked Naruto about the whisker-marks on his cheeks. He told her the story he and his grandparents agreed on—that they were birthmarks. Naruto as well as Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't want the other kids at school or their parents to think Naruto was some troubled kid and a bad influence as most people tend to think about those with tattoos. So they decided the whiskers would be birthmarks, and that's what the blonde boy told Hinata, although he felt bad for lying to her even if it wasn't that big a deal. She merely smiled at him and remarked that she thought they were cute, causing Naruto to blush a bit again.
The conversation then fell on Naruto's parents—what they did for a living and where they are now. At first, Hinata was afraid that she'd hurt Naruto's feelings by asking, but he quickly assured her that he was fine and didn't mind her asking. He told her his parents were still alive and that his father had worked in Jiraiya's publishing company while his mother used to teach elementary school in their old town Hajime. But they had to leave to take care of something with his mother's family and he couldn't come with them because they wanted him to finish school.
"But why couldn't you have done both? What are they doing exactly?" Hinata asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"They wouldn't say. My mom and dad are like that, though. If they have a secret, then you're not gonna know until they decide to tell you. No amount of asking will change that," Naruto explained as he killed an enemy in the game. "All I can assume is it's something serious that will take a lot of time to take care of, and that there's some reason I couldn't go to school wherever they are."
Hinata studied his face for a bit and noticed the sadness in his eyes. "You really miss them, don't you?"
"Yeah," he answered quietly. "I know most kids our age usually can't wait to get away from their parents, but I've always gotten along with mine pretty well. Our arguments—when we have them—are usually resolved pretty quick, and I like spending time with them. 'Specially since my dad was busy a lot when I was little—I hardly got to see him until I was ten."
"I can understand that," Hinata replied in an equally quiet voice. "I lost my mother when I was five—she died giving birth to my little sister Hanabi. But I can still remember spending time with her and miss her every day. My father is...well...he's..."
"Not the kind of father a daughter can really get close to?" Naruto asked in an unusually insightful manner. Hinata just nodded, and Naruto said, "Yeah, I kinda got that impression when I saw how nervous you were whenever he was mentioned and by his and my private conversation last night. Based on the little I know so far, I'd say he was a bit overprotective and doesn't spend much time with you."
"Almost hit the nail on the head. Add calling me a failure almost every time he sees me, and you got my relationship with my father in a nutshell," Hinata thought with a mixture of sadness and bitterness. Nodding to Naruto, she told him sadly, "Yeah, that's pretty much how things are."
Naruto tried to cheer her up with a foxy grin. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. I'm sure your dad loves you, and that's the important part."
"Yeah, you're right, Naruto," she replied while doing her best to make her smile look real. She must've succeeded because the whisker-faced boy turned back to the game without further comment.
Hinata watched her blonde friend play the game for a few moments in silence and mentally giggled a bit when she noticed Naruto's way of playing was quite different from hers. While she tended to make her characters sneak through dungeons and assassinate enemies to avoid fighting, Naruto seemed happier making his characters run in swinging their weapons causing huge battles and leaving no hostiles alive. After watching his character kill at least ten guys and cutting off the last guy's head, Hinata couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed.
"I'm kind of glad this isn't a multiplayer game," she said when he cocked an eyebrow at her. "There'd be nothing for me to do."
Naruto made his character look around the room at all the slaughtered enemies and laughed as well. Scratching the back of his head, he replied, "Yeah, I tend to go a bit nuts in games. Hehehe." Then he put on a serious face and added, "But in my defense, they're all bad guys. I don't go through the towns killing the people there."
Hinata giggled, causing the blonde to lose his hold on his serious look. "They're not real anyway, Naruto. I've killed a couple of the townspeople who made me angry or when I found out they did horrible things. Sometimes right in the middle of town too."
"Why, Miss Hinata, I'm shocked!" Naruto exclaimed with a teasing grin. "It's always the quiet ones, huh? Hahaha!"
She shoved him lightly in an unusual moment of boldness, which only made him laugh harder. Pretty soon, she was laughing just as hard, and eventually, the controller ended up falling from Naruto's grasp and onto the floor. Naturally, their first reaction was to pick it up, and the two teens reached for it at the same time. And then...their hands touched. Naruto and Hinata instantly looked up at each other, their faces only inches apart, and without either of them thinking about it, they started to move closer to each other...
"Nee-san!" a voice called out and Naruto and Hinata jumped back as if stung. Their faces were a bright red, and they averted their gaze from each other. "Nee-san, are you in your room?" the voice called again, and seconds later, the owner of the voice appeared in the doorway. "Nee-san!"
Naruto looked at the newcomer. She was a younger girl, most likely ten or eleven-years-old, with brown hair and silver Hyuuga eyes, and her face resembled Hiashi's more than Hinata, making Naruto assume that Hinata took after her mother. The girl wore a white T-shirt and loose black pants.
"H-Hanabi-imouto, c-come in," Hinata said to the girl. "Th-This is N-Naruto," she added as the girl came over to them. "N-Naruto, this is my l-little sister Hanabi."
Regaining his composure, the blonde held out his hand and Hanabi shook it. "Nice to meet you, Naruto!" the younger girl smiled at him. "Hinata's done nothing but talk about you ever since last night."
"H-Hanabi!" her elder sister chided in embarrassment, and Naruto's blush returned.
Hanabi just chuckled at their reactions as she moved to Naruto's right—the opposite side from Hinata. "What, nee-san? I can see why. He's really cute."
Naruto made a strange choking noise as his voice caught in his throat, and Hinata shouted, "Hanabi!"
"You know, Naruto," the girl continued, leaning on the arm of the couch by Naruto and ignoring her elder sister's mortified look, "My sister told me all about how you saved her. I bet she wouldn't say no if you asked her on a date."
"HANABI!" Hinata practically screamed as she stood up and hopped on her good foot toward her sister. She only managed three hops, however, before she tripped on the controller that was still on the floor and started to fall. Naruto quickly leaned forward and caught her by the waist, wrapping his arms around her to stop her progress to the floor. Hinata had instinctively put her arms around his neck at the same time, and now she was practically in Naruto's lap. She looked up at him, and the two were once again lost in each other's eyes.
"Man, these two have got it bad," Hanabi thought as she sweat-dropped. She cleared her throat, breaking the teens' gaze, and said, "Well, nee-san, I just wanted to see if your ankle was any better, so I'll be going now. Nice meeting you, Naruto!" She left the room giggling.
Avoiding her eyes, Naruto helped Hinata to sit in her place on the couch again and picked up the controller. Without a word, he resumed playing the game, and a long awkward silence fell between them.
"What should I do? What should I say? He probably thinks I'm weird now..." Hinata thought sadly. "We just met...how can I have a crush on him already?"
"I should say something... but what? I really like her...but we just met! Gah! I don't know what to do here!" Naruto screamed in his head.
Almost fifteen minutes passed before the silence was broken, this time by Hinata. "N-N-Naruto, I-I'm sorry for what my s-sister said," she said in almost a whisper.
"That's okay, Hinata! That's just how younger siblings are, right?" Naruto replied cheerfully to mask his own embarrassment.
"R-R-Right," she muttered, her voice breaking slightly. It wasn't enough for anyone with normal hearing to hear, but Naruto's hearing wasn't normal. And when he heard her sob, he paused the game and turned to her concerned.
"Hinata, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" he asked gently.
"I-I-I j-j-just don't w-want you to th-think I'm w-w-weird b-because of what m-my s-s-sister said," she cried.
"Hey, hey. Come here," Naruto said softly as he pulled Hinata into a hug. She clung to his shirt and cried into his chest, and Naruto just held her tight. "Hinata, I already think you're weird. I thought that shortly after I met you." Her breath caught in her throat as her heart felt like it was being squeezed to death by what he said. But the blonde wasn't finished. "But, ya know, I like people like you, Hinata!" he told her with a happy grin.
She pushed back a little to see his face. "R-R-Really?"
"Yeah!" he nodded. Then his voice and smile softened as he looked back at her. "Hinata, I know we just met, but there's something about you I really like. And it's not just the fact that you're really pretty either. I can't really describe it—I just know I like you a lot and want to get to know you better. But because we just met, I would rather us just be friends for now." He paused when he realized that what he said might be telling her too much too soon and he panicked a bit. "O-Or ya know, never more than friends or maybe not friends at all since you probably don't want to see me anymore no—"
He was silenced when Hinata held up her hand and smiled at him. "N-Naruto, it's okay. I really l-like y-you too."
"Really?" he asked in disbelief. Most girls he knew would be creeped out at someone liking them so much when they just met them. But if she felt the same, then it would make sense for her to be okay with his feelings.
She nodded. "Y-Yes, I do. B-But I agree with you o-on wanting to j-just be friends for n-now."
He smiled and released her from the embrace. "Yeah, at least until we know each other better, right?" She smiled and nodded. "But that doesn't mean I can't take you out every now and then to just hang out, does it?" he asked shyly. "Ya know, like a date but not a date?"
"N-No, I g-guess not," Hinata answered with a darker blush. "I-I-In fact, I w-would like that v-very much."
He gave her a foxy grin, his whiskered cheeks dusted with red. "But if anyone asks, we're just friends and not on a date. Right?"
"R-Right," she nodded.
"For now," the both said at the same time and laughed.
"Feeling better?" Naruto asked kindly as Hinata dried her eyes.
"Y-Yes, thank you, Naruto," she smiled at him. Naruto went back to playing the game, and after a minute, Hinata spoke again. "Y-You know, Naruto, you keep helping me, but s-so far I haven't done anything for you."
"Hinata, so far you've done more for me than you know," Naruto replied quietly.
"W-What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head to the side—a gesture Naruto thought was very cute.
The blonde sighed. "Well, at my old school, I didn't really have any friends. There were people I'd casually hang out with while at school, but that was about it. The one person I did consider a friend isn't a very good one. He never wanted to hang out much, and he didn't even say goodbye when I left to come here. In fact, I still haven't heard from him..."
"Oh, N-Naruto, I'm sorry," Hinata said sympathetically with a gentle hand on his arm. "B-But I don't understand. Why didn't you have any friends? You had g-girlfriends, and you seem really nice, so...?"
With a shrug, Naruto told her, "Well, I used to play a lot of pranks when I was younger—more so than I do nowadays." He chuckled slightly. "Some of the targets of my pranks were the more popular kids, and I saved the more humiliating ones for them since they often bullied everyone else. But because they were the popular kids, everyone still sided with them, so when they didn't like me, no one else did either just so they didn't piss off the popular kids. And the fact that it was a small town didn't help either, ya know. Fewer people means fewer kids who wouldn't care about the popular kids' opinions and be my friend anyway.
"As for having girlfriends, I think that was only because the few girls I've dated liked how I look, and apparently that was enough to risk associating with me. They weren't shunned for very long, though, after I dumped them or they dumped me, but that was probably because of how they look too. The kids in my hometown are fairly shallow, in case you haven't noticed. And that includes my one 'friend' who I already told you about. He used to ditch me too whenever he agreed to help me with a prank and we were about to be caught." He sighed again in sadness before looking at the bluenette beside him. "So by being my first friend here, you've actually done a lot for me, Hinata." He gave her a small, but genuine, smile.
Feeling bold, Hinata briefly hugged Naruto's arm, which surprised and delighted the boy all at the same time, and said, "I-I'm sorry, Naruto. I-I know what it's like t-to not have many friends. There's a couple of guys I've b-been friends with s-since j-junior high, but before that, I d-didn't have any friends really. I've been made f-fun of quite a bit for h-having my family's weird eyes, and m-most people assume I'm stuck-up like the r-rest of my family." She looked up into his eyes. "S-So I'm g-glad I could help you." Smiling happily at him, she added, "You won't be alone anymore here."
"Thanks, Hinata," he gave her a quick one-armed hug.
However, it was at that moment just before Naruto released Hinata that Neji walked by the room and looked in. Seeing the whisker-faced boy with his arm around the heiress to the Hyuuga family—however briefly—set him off. He was livid.
"How dare you touch Lady Hinata!" Neji shouted as he stomped toward Naruto. Pulling the surprised younger boy up from the couch by his collar, Neji continued shouting. "She is the heiress of the Hyuuga family and its corporation! How dare a commoner like you touch her!"
"Neji-nii-san, he—"
"Be quiet, Lady Hinata!" Neji silenced her. "You're too trusting and naïve to be any good at judging someone's character. You're as much a failure at reading people as you are with anything else!"
Now Naruto was pissed. All insults toward him as well as Neji overreacting to a simple hug aside, he did NOT like the way the older boy just dismissed and insulted Hinata. Not allowing her to speak even in her own room on top of calling her a failure? Naruto did not like that one bit.
Calmly as he could, Naruto wordlessly removed Neji's hand from his collar and stepped back a bit to straighten his shirt somewhat. Then after clearing his throat, he said, "Neji, right? I understand you being protective of your cousin, especially since she just met me yesterday, but it was just a hug. Not only that, but you assume too much about me, and you've known me for even less time than Hinata has. But none of that really matters to me. You can hate me if you want—I don't care. However," he stepped closer to Neji, putting his face just inches away from the older boy's, "if you ever talk to Hinata like the way you just did again, I won't be this nice about it next time."
"Is that a threat, Namikaze?" Neji asked as he crossed his arms and glared back at the blonde.
"No. That's a promise," Naruto told him. "And I never go back on my word."
"Hmph," Neji grunted in contempt. "You just keep your grubby paws off her, or I won't be this nice about it next time." And he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
Naruto just sat back down on the couch next to Hinata, who was watching him with a concerned face. The blonde just looked at her, a smirk crossing his face and a mischievious glint in his eye.
Winking at her, he suddenly shouted, "Oh, Hinata! You're so soft and cuddly! I could just hug you all day!"
Footsteps came thundering down the hall, and Neji was back in the doorway in seconds glaring at Naruto. However, when he saw that Naruto and Hinata weren't touching in the slightest nor did they look like they had suddenly jumped away from each other, he was confused.
Naruto just quirked an eyebrow at the older boy and his smirk was still on his face. Neji just glared at the blonde and slowly turned away and began walking down the hall.
Hinata stifled a giggle and caught Naruto's eye for a second. With a smirk of her own, she yelled, "N-Naruto! W-What are you doing?! Put me down!"
Again, Neji's quick footsteps could be heard before he was in the doorway once more. And just like before, he couldn't see any evidence that Naruto and Hinata had even moved, much less touched at all. This time he glared at Hinata angrily, but also with a bit of surprise that she would join Naruto in tricking him. Said bluenette just looked down at her lap to avoid his gaze and also to keep herself from laughing. Meanwhile, Naruto was biting his lip to keep from busting a gut at Neji's face.
The older Hyuuga boy cast one last glare at the two of them before leaving once more, though he quickly looked back around the doorway just to make sure they hadn't moved. Seeing they hadn't, he continued down the hall.
After a minute, Hinata started to speak, but Naruto held up a finger to his lips, asking her to be quiet for a moment. Listening with his enhanced hearing and checking with his sense of smell as well, Naruto confirmed that Neji was indeed no longer nearby. Then he let out the laughter he had struggled so hard to keep in.
"Ahahahahaha! That was, hahaha, so awesome, Hinata! Hahahaha!" Naruto exclaimed as he held his sides. "And did you see his face the second time?! Hahahahahaha! I can't believe you did that! Hahahaha!"
Hinata, who had burst into a fit of giggles as soon as Naruto started laughing, blushed when he mentioned her part in teasing her cousin. Gaining control over her giggles, she remarked, "I can't believe I did that either! He was so angry!" She covered her red face with her hands and let out a last few giggles.
Naruto's own laughter died down, and he wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. "Oh man, Hinata, that was just too perfect. You have some potential as a prankster, ya know!" He gave her a foxy grin and let out another chuckle.
Removing her hands from her face, Hinata replied, "Oh, I don't know, Naruto. He looked so mad, and I—"
"Hinata," Naruto interrupted the bluenette gently, "you didn't do anything wrong. And he deserved it after the way he talked to you, ya know!"
Hinata sighed. "I guess, but I'm used to that, though."
"He always talks like that to you?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
Naruto was taken aback. "Seriously? Why do you let him? Don't you stand up for yourself?"
"I-I-I don't l-like to fight, s-so I just b-brush it off," Hinata said quietly, looking down at her lap again.
Naruto didn't want to upset her further, but he couldn't help asking, "If he doesn't like you, though, why is he so protective?"
"B-Because he has t-to be," she answered. Seeing the confusion on Naruto's face, she added, "I-It's a f-family thing. I'd r-rather not talk about it, p-please."
"Okay. I don't get it, but I won't make you tell me," Naruto said kindly. Then after briefly listening for anyone coming down the hall, Naruto put his left arm around Hinata again and gave her another brief hug. "But don't expect me not to stand up for you," he told her as he released her and then reached for the controller again. "No one talks to any friend of mine like that. Family or not."
Hinata smiled at that. "Thank you, Naruto."
"Yup! Anytime, Hinata," he replied with a grin. "And seriously, you do have some potential as a prankster. Maybe you and I should plan a prank when school starts. Hehehe."
Hinata giggled. "Maybe. Could be fun."
"Oh, you should hear about the stuff I've pulled in my hometown."
"Tell me about it."
Naruto laughed. "With pleasure!" A smirking grin crossed his face. "Well, there was the time that..."
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
A few hours—and bouts of laughter as well as interruptions by Neji—later, Naruto decided to head for home. Hinata had invited him to stay for dinner, but Naruto politely declined, not wanting to wear out his welcome by staying too long on the second day of their friendship. As he stood up from the couch to leave, though, Naruto remembered his blue-haired friend's interest in computers and electronics and thought he'd ask her about a particular piece of equipment he realized the night before he needed for his crime-fighting.
"Hey, Gadget Girl," Naruto began as he looked at Hinata with a grin.
She blushed at the name and asked, "Yes?"
"I was wondering if you'd know where I could get my hands on a police scanner."
"A police scanner? You know it's illegal for civilians to have one of those, right?" she told him as she tilted her head to the side in question. Again, Naruto thought she looked cute when she did that.
But he was more concerned with what she just told him. "O-Oh. Really?"
Hinata nodded. "Why do you need one?"
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, crap! I can't tell her the real reason! Think of an excuse! Think of an excuse!" he screamed inwardly. "Um, w-well, it's for a hobby—or rather project—of mine... It's not for anything illegal. Other than owning it, I mean."
"What is this project? Can you tell me about it?" Hinata asked innocently, believing that it wasn't anything illegal like he said, but still curious.
Naruto shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable. "I, uh, can't tell you," he said. Seeing her slightly saddened look, he added, "I-I will someday! Ya know, when it's...finished. But...until then, I'd prefer to keep it secret." He scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner.
Hinata brightened up a bit at that. "Promise?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah, sure!" he agreed with a grin. "It won't be for a while, though, but I never go back on my word."
Hinata nodded, still smiling at him, and she seemed to consider something for a moment. Coming to a decision, she nodded again and said, "Well, I can't have you getting yourself arrested by trying to buy one anywhere." Grabbing her crutches, she stood up from the couch and told Naruto to follow her. Not sure where she was taking him, Naruto decided the best way to find out would be to just go with her.
Hinata led Naruto further down the hall, past Neji's bedroom door, which was unfortunately was open. The older boy came out of the room and started to follow them until the heiress stopped and turned to face him.
"Nii-san, there is no reason to follow us. Naruto is about to go home, and I'm just showing him my workshop first before he does. I'll leave the door open, and this won't take long..." she trailed off, hoping Neji would just turn around and go back to his room.
Neji rolled his eyes and scoffed—he considered Hinata's workshop a waste of time and full of boring things only she seemed to fully understand. "Fine. But I'm checking on you in five minutes," he told her sternly before turning on his heel and walking back to his room.
As Hinata and Naruto started walking again, the blonde muttered, "What a jerk, ya know?"
Hinata let out a sad sigh. "Not that I disagree, but it's not entirely his fault."
"Is it part of the family stuff you mentioned before?"
"Yeah..." She stopped by a door and looked at him. "I'll tell you about it someday, but..."
"Hey, it's okay," Naruto reassured her with a small smile. "I'll tell you my secret someday and you'll tell me yours. No worries."
Hinata gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Naruto." Then she opened the door and said, "Here we are."
Stepping into the room behind her, Naruto was stopped in his tracks by the sight. A large table dominated the center of the room with one chair with wheels next to it. On top of the table were all sorts of electronic bits and pieces as well as two computers—a desktop and a laptop—and a tablet. All along the walls of the room were shelves filled with electronics in various states of repair, electronic parts, and tools for working on them.
"Wow..." Naruto breathed. He was impressed to put it mildly. "You weren't kidding about liking this stuff. This is pretty cool, Hinata!"
The bluenette blushed at his compliment. "Y-You don't think it's too nerdy?"
"Eh, it's definitely nerdy. But I like nerds, so I wouldn't say it's too much," he flashed her a foxy grin.
She smiled happily at him even as her face reddened further. "Thanks. Now, let me look through my stuff. I think I have at least one of what you're looking for." She walked over to a shelf and began digging while Naruto just stayed by the door. It took her a couple of minutes, but Hinata found what she was looking for and held it out for Naruto to take. "Here it is!" she exclaimed cheerfully as the blonde walked toward her and took it from her.
"Wow, thanks, Hinata! But are you sure it's okay for me to just take it? I could pay you for it," Naruto offered.
"No, it's okay. A lot of everything in here is overflow from our manufacturing companies, and I actually put that," she gestured to the device in Naruto's hands, "together myself using schematics I got off the internet and with parts I had around here. Didn't cost me anything, and mostly just like putting these things together. I don't have much use for it now."
Naruto looked down at the object he was holding. "She put this thing together herself?! Sweet ramen, this girl is amazing!" he thought impressed. "And it really works?"
"Yup!" she grinned at him proudly. "I'm not good at a lot of things, but I'm very good at this. But you shouldn't check it here." She gave him a warning look as she glanced at the door.
Naruto slipped the device into his coat pocket. "Right. Well, thank you very much, Hinata. I really appreciate this." He beamed at her.
"N-No problem, Naruto," she replied. His smile had managed to make her blush return. "Let me know if it helps with your project."
"Definitely." He paused as he considered something. Not hearing Neji nearby, he decided to go for it and gave her a quick hug and said, "Well, I gotta get going. See you tomorrow?"
"S-Sure, N-Naruto," Hinata muttered as she tried to gain control over her increasing blush. "A-And I'll introduce y-you to some of my friends like I promised."
"Sounds great! See you then!" he exclaimed while still smiling, and then with a wave, he left her workshop and her house.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
Much later that night, Naruto—or rather the Kitsune Ninja—made use of his newly acquired police scanner, silently thanking Hinata with every dirtbag the little device led him to. In the course of the night, Kitsune Ninja managed to stop three robberies—a couple stores and one bank—and tracked down a mugger. The scanner led him to the site where a man was mugged, and from there, Kitsune Ninja used his enhanced sense of smell to hunt down the culprit, whom the Ninja proceeded to beat to a bloody pulp before dropping him off at the police department.
"That's the least that bastard deserved," the young hero thought angrily as he jumped back through his window. As he proceeded to remove his ninja gear and put it away, he reflected on how the man who was mugged was still in the hospital with three broken ribs, a broken arm, a busted foot, and his internal organs were severely bruised. Some had ruptured. His face had been smashed into the side of a building as well, and the man was currently in critical condition—and the doctors weren't holding out much hope for his recovery. "He's lucky I didn't kill him after what he did. Beating a guy almost to death just over some money? And all he got was 30 bucks too! Not that a larger amount would justify it, but still. How can anyone be that sick?"
He shook his head, hoping to make his dark thoughts go away, and he noticed a light on his phone was blinking. He'd left his phone behind just like the night before because he knew if he lost it anywhere, his cover would be blown. Picking the phone up, he looked at the screen and saw he had a text from Hinata.
Hey, Naruto. I just wanted to say thanks for coming over today. I had a lot of fun! :) And I'm glad my pain meds didn't make me fall asleep. ^_^' Can't wait to hang out again tomorrow. I asked my friends Kiba and Shino to meet us at my house a little before noon, and from there we'll go to the mall if that's okay with you. We might meet more of our friends there too since they hang out there a lot.
Naruto replied: Hi, Hinata! No prob! I had a lot of fun today too, so thanks for having me over! ^^ The plans for tomorrow sound good to me. I'll see you then!
Sending his message, he put the phone back on his nightstand and went to take a shower before going to bed. His last thought as sleep claimed him was, "Man... I was feeling pretty lousy after taking down that mugger-bastard, but now, I'm feeling a lot better. Guess this is what having a good friend is like..."
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
And so ends the chapter. I know it wasn't really actiony at all, but I'm hoping it was at least amusing and that you all enjoyed the NaruHina fluff.
Speaking of which, before I get any reviews saying that I'm getting Naruto and Hinata together too soon, which would be kind of ridiculous considering how many stories have them in love in like the first chapter...not that I mind those even if it is unrealistic. But I digress. Anyway, in case anyone's concerned I'm putting them together too soon, rest assured they will be just friends for quite a while. So far, they've just admitted to having a mutual attraction to each other and are interested in getting to know each other further. That's not all that unrealistic when you consider some people start dating right after they meet—some people even meet on dates. And maybe I'm just being paranoid and none of you considered it strange at all, but that's just how I am.
Anyway, leave me a review if you're liking the story please! Encouraging reviews help me write faster. ^_^ And I'm planning some more action for the next chapter as well as the possible return of a certain grumpy furry friend, although he may not meet up with Naruto again for a while. I have a basic plan for this story, but I'm kind of winging it with each chapter. So we'll just have to see how things go.
Until next time!
